Today's News-Thursday, April 15, 2010-updated 7:40am

MALAVE FACES ADDITIONAL CHARGES

THE SCHUYLKILL COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY HAS TACKED ON ADDITIONAL CHARGES AGAINST A SHENANDOAH WOMAN WHO WAS INVOLVED IN AN ALTERCATION AT A BOROUGH BAR. MIRIAM MALAVE HAD HER PRELIMINARY HEARING WEDNESDAY ON EXISTING CHARGES OF CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT AGGRAVATED ASSAULT AND OTHER COUNTS. SHE NOW WILL FACE AN ETHNIC INTIMIDATION CHARGE IN ADDITION, AND AGGRAVATED AND SIMPLE ASSAULT. MALAVE, HER TWO SONS AND STEPSON WERE AT THE M&T BAR IN MID FEBRUARY, AND MALAVE ALLEGEDLY YELLED "ALL THE WHITES ARE GOING TO DIE TONIGHT" WHILE A FIGHT ENSUED AND SHE THREATENED THE BARTENDER WITH A BASEBALL BAT. THE CASE AGAINST MALAVE WILL GO ON TO COUNTY COURT, AND SHE REMAINS IN PRISON. HER STEPSON, MICHAEL BERDECIA HAD SEVERAL OF THE CHARGES AGAINST HIM DROPPED, BUT HE ALSO REMAINS IN PRISON. MALAVE'S TWO SONS REMAIN AT LARGE AND ARE BEING SOUGHT BY POLICE.

COUNTY LOOKS TO CHANGE STS ADMINISTRATION

SCHUYLKILL COUNTY GOVERNMENT CONTINUES TO LOOK AT WAYS TO SAVE MONEY. YESTERDAY, THEY PROPOSED TO PUT ADMINISTRATION OF THE SCHUYLKILL TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM IN THE HANDS OF A PUBLIC AUTHORITY. SINCE 1981, STS HAS OPERATED UNDER A MANAGEMENT AGREEMENT WITH REDCO, AT AN ANNUAL COST OF JUST OVER $338 THOUSAND DOLLARS ANNUALLY. THE PUBLIC AUTHORITY WOULD OVERSEE ALL FACETS OF OPERATION OF STS, ELIMINATING THE MIDDLEMAN. ASSISTANT COUNTY SOLICITOR ED BRENNAN TALKS ABOUT THE BENEFITS OF THE CHANGE:

BRENNAN

STS EMPLOYS ABOUT 60 PEOPLE, 45 FULL TIMERS. THE DRIVERS AND MECHANICS
ARE UNIONIZED AND WOULD CONTINUE TO WORK UNDER THAT AGREEMENT UNTIL 2012. COMMISSIONER CHAIRWOMAN MANTURA GALLAGHER SAID THAT THE AUTHORITY, POSSIBLY MADE UP OF NINE APPOINTED PEOPLE, MIGHT HIRE A FEW EMPLOYEES TO HANDLE SOME OF THE BACK OFFICE ADMINISTRATION THAT REDCO CURRENTLY DOES. A PUBLIC HEARING ON THE MATTER WOULD BE HELD WITHIN THE NEXT MONTH OR TWO, FOLLOWED BY THE CREATION OF THE AUTHORITY, PERHAPS BY MID SUMMER. REDCO AND THE COUNTY HAVE BEEN OPERATING UNDER A YEAR TO YEAR AGREEMENT.

CENSUS INFO

LESS THAN A WEEK REMAINS UNTIL 2010 CENSUS FORMS ARE DUE ON APRIL 21ST. CHARLIE ROSS OF THE SCHUYLKILL COUNTY PLANNING AND ZONING OFFICE REPORTED YESTERDAY THAT ALL FORMS TO KNOWN HOUSEHOLDS IN SCHUYLKILL COUNTY HAVE BEEN MAILED. BUT SEVERAL RESIDENTS IN THE COUNTY REPORT THEY HAVEN'T RECEIVED THEIR QUESTIONAIRES YET. ROSS EXPLAINS WHAT TO DO IF THAT APPLIES TO YOU:

ROSS

http://www.schuylkillcounts.com/

FIRE INVESTIGATION CONTINUES

STATE POLICE AND LOCAL FIRE INVESTIGATORS CONTINUE TO LOOK FOR CLUES AS TO WHAT CAUSED THE FIRE THAT DESTROYED A RAG STORAGE WAREHOUSE EARLY WEDNESDAY. THE CRESSONA TEXTILE WASTE FACILITY ON MENGLE STREET GAVE FIREFIGHTERS A CHALLENGE THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT. FIRE OFFICIALS TELL WPPA/T102 NEWS THAT TROOPER MICHAEL YEITY IS LEADING THE INVESTIGATION INTO WHAT CAUSED THE FIRE. SEVERAL YEARS AGO, CRESSONA TEXTILE'S MAIN PLANT ON FRONT STREET IN CRESSONA BURNED TO THE GROUND. THAT ARSON CASE REMAINS UNSOLVED.

FIGHT IN GIRARDVILLE

STATE POLICE HAVE MADE AN ARREST FOLLOWING A FIGHT IN GIRARDVILLE. 31 YEAR OLD ERIC BLESEDELL IS ALLEGED TO HAVE HIT MICHAEL DOLAN IN THE HEAD WITH A BOARD DURING THE MELEE ON WEST MAHANOY AVENUE. BLESEDELL WAS ARRESTED AND CHARGED WITH AGGRAVATED ASSAULT. HE COULDN'T POST BAIL AFTER ARRAIGNMENT AND WAS TAKEN TO THE COUNTY PRISON. DOLAN WAS TREATED AT A LOCAL HOSPITAL FOLLOWING THE FIGHT YESTERDAY.

FATHERING INITIATIVE

BEING A DAD IS THE HARDEST JOB. SHERRY MARCHEFSKY HAS MORE FROM PENN STATE ABOUT A NEW INITIATIVE GRANT COMING TO THE COUNTY:

FATHERING

TWO MONTH OLD DEATH INVESTIGATION

STATE POLICE ARE INVESTIGATING THE DEATH OF A TWO MONTH OLD BABY IN NEIGHBORING BERKS COUNTY. THE BOY WAS FOUND UNRESPONSIVE IN HIS HOME ON VIRGINVILLE ROAD IN PERRY TOWNSHIP YESTERDAY AFTERNOON. AN AUTOPSY ON THE BABY IS BEING PERFORMED THIS AFTERNOON AT READING HOSPITAL.

PITTSBURGH (AP) - OFFICIALS SAY A SECURITY GUARD WAS ABLE TO DISARM A GUNMAN WHO WALKED INTO A PITTSBURGH SCHOOL YESTERDAY. POLICE SAY THE 23-YEAR-OLD MAN SNEAKED THE WEAPON INTO THE CREATIVE & PERFORMING ARTS SCHOOL YESTERDAY. NO SHOTS WERE FIRED AND NO STUDENTS WERE HURT.

WILKINSBURG, PA. (AP) - A THIRD-GRADER AT A SCHOOL NEAR PITTSBURGH HAS BEEN CAUGHT HANDING OUT HEROIN TO CLASSMATES. THE 8-YEAR-OLD BOY BROUGHT THE HEROIN IN MORE THAN 60 SMALL BAGS TO TURNER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TUESDAY BEFORE A TEACHER DISCOVERED THEM. POLICE ARE TRYING TO FIND OUT WHERE THE BOY GOT THE DRUGS.

LANCASTER, PA. (AP) - SOME BUS RIDERS ARE HURT AFTER A FOUR-STORY BUILDING PARTIALLY COLLAPSED DURING RUSH HOUR IN LANCASTER YESTERDAY MORNING. OFFICIALS TELL THE INTELLIGENCER JOURNAL THAT THE FRONT QUARTER OF THE BUILDING CAME DOWN AS A BUS WAS PASSING BY. FOUR PEOPLE WERE TREATED FOR MINOR INJURIES.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - A NEW SPONSORSHIP DEAL WILL KEEP THE DAD VAIL REGATTA IN PHILADELPHIA FOR AT LEAST THE NEXT FOUR YEARS. ABERDEEN ASSETS MANAGEMENT IS THE REGATTA'S NEW TITLE SPONSER. THE EVENT FEATURES MORE THAN 3,000 ROWERS FROM 120 COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES IN THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA.

LONDON (AP) - AN ERUPTING VOLCANO IN ICELAND IS AFFECTING EUROPEAN AIR TRAVEL TODAY. BRITISH OFFICIALS SAY DRIFTING ASH CLOUDS REPRESENT "A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY THREAT TO AIRCRAFT." FLIGHTS HAVE BEEN SUSPENDED AT MANCHESTER AND BIRMINGHAM, AS WELL AS IN BELFAST IN NORTHERN IRELAND AND THE SCOTTISH AIRPORTS AT ABERDEEN, GLASGOW AND EDINBURGH. THE ASH HAS ALSO DISRUPTED OPERATIONS AT LONDON HEATHROW, EUROPE'S BUSIEST AIRPORT.

LOS ANGELES (AP) - THE RECORD NUMBER OF HOME FORECLOSURES IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF THE YEAR IS SEEN AS A SIGN BANKS ARE GETTING A HANDLE ON A BACKLOG OF TROUBLED HOME LOANS. REALTYTRAC INC. SAYS THE NUMBER OF HOMES TAKEN OVER BY BANKS JUMPED 35 PERCENT FROM THE FIRST QUARTER A YEAR AGO. HOUSEHOLDS FACING FORECLOSURE GREW 16 PERCENT IN THE SAME PERIOD.

WASHINGTON (AP) - TOYOTA SAYS ENGINEERS ARE WORKING TO CORRECT A STABILITY PROBLEM ON THE 2010 LEXUS GX 460, WHICH HAS BEEN GIVEN A "DON'T BUY" RATING BY CONSUMER REPORTS DUE TO ROLLOVER DANGER. TOYOTA HAS SUSPENDED SALES OF THE SUV AND MEDIA REPORTS IN JAPAN SAY A RECALL IS BEING CONSIDERED. ONCE THE PROBLEM IS FIXED, TOYOTA HOPES CONSUMER REPORTS WILL RETEST THE VEHICLE.

MUSKOGEE, OKLA. (AP) - A TEENAGER IS BEING HELD WITHOUT BOND ON A FIRST-DEGREE MURDER CHARGE IN AN OKLAHOMA SHOPPING MALL SHOOTING THAT LEFT A 17-YEAR-OLD DEAD AND FIVE OTHERS WOUNDED. SIXTEEN-YEAR-OLD MICHAEL MAYBERRY ALSO WAS CHARGED WITH FIVE COUNTS OF ASSAULT AND BATTERY WITH A DEADLY WEAPON IN THE SHOOTING WHICH OFFICIALS SAY MAY BE GANG-RELATED.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - A LAWYER WHO HAS SEASON TICKETS FOR THE NEW YORK JETS HAS ARGUED IN A FEDERAL APPEALS COURT FOR A REVIVAL OF HIS LAWSUIT AGAINST THE NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS. CARL MAYER IS SUING OVER THE PATRIOTS' SECRET VIDEOTAPING OF SIGNALS FROM NEW YORK JETS' COACHES. HE ARGUES THAT FANS SPENT VAST SUMS OF MONEY TO SEE GAMES THAT WERE ESSENTIALLY RIGGED. A LOWER COURT DISMISSED THE SUIT.